Shakur Stevenson Vs. Joet Gonzalez Odds, Records, Prediction

Shakur Stevenson has only been a professional boxer for 2 ½ years. But in those 30 months of fighting, he's accumulated a solid undefeated record, and when he faces Joet Gonzalez on Saturday night on ESPN+, he'll be gunning for his first world title. But Gonzalez is also a prospect, albeit not one most casual fans know about, and he also hasn't tasted defeat. He also is hungry for his first world title at featherweight.

And he thinks he's going to blast out Stevenson.

"He's gonna have to do some crazy thing to beat me because I'm not leaving Saturday without that belt," Gonzalez said this week.

The oddsmakers don't agree with him, but Gonzalez certainly has a chance to score the upset. There are plenty of reasons to watch Stevenson vs. Gonzalez. Here are three of them.

1) The fighters' personal lives have gotten involved: This fight is like the culmination of a soap opera. Gonzalez accused Stephenson of sending him hateful direct messages on social media, and Stevenson's longtime girlfriend is Gonzalez's sister. It's apparently caused a huge rift in the Gonzalez family. "It's honestly on her and we'll see what happens," Gonzalez told The Athletic. "There's things with Shakur-things he's said and done-that I can't forgive right now ... I've stayed quiet as he's brought up my family and said some things. ... He's called my family racists ... there's nothing (racial) at all (about the dislike). I just feel he can't accept the fact I don't like him."

Perhaps that'll fuel Gonzalez on Saturday. But Stevenson said the family mess won't affect him at all. "It's personal for him," Stevenson said. "I'm not going in the ring with a personal mindset. I'm going in the ring to win a world title."

2) Stevenson has been on the fast track: Stevenson is one of the best prospects in boxing, and it hasn't taken him long to land a shot at a featherweight strap. Don't think Gonzalez hasn't noticed, especially since it's taken him seven years to get this opportunity. "I've had the longer road," Gonzalez said. "I have more experience. I'm older, more mature, and I think that is going to help me out Saturday night." Stevenson disagrees. "I feel like going pro and fighting a bunch of bums early in your career, I feel like that's the easy route," Stevenson, who won a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics, said, referring to Gonzalez's resume. "I feel like I went to the Olympics and fought the higher level of competition, and that's the reason I am who I am today."

3) Stevenson is getting stronger: Though his KO percentage of 58.3 is rather unimpressive-especially for a prospect of this magnitude-Stevenson has been notching more stoppages lately. He's won three of his last four fights by KO or TKO and five of his last seven. His opponents are getting better, but so is his power. "He's learned a lot," welterweight star Terence Crawford, Stevenson's occasional training partner, told Boxing Scene. "And he's getting stronger and stronger, and he's getting better and better. Each time that I see him in camp, I say, 'Oh, you're filling out into a professional now.' At first, he didn't wanna stay in the pocket, and just little things that he used to do were still amateurish, and now he doesn't do that. He's sitting down on his shots more."

Shakur Stevenson vs. Joet Gonzalez odds

As far as I can remember, Stevenson has never been this small of a favorite heading into a fight. As of this writing, he's at -500, meaning you'd have to wager $500 to win $100. Meanwhile, Gonzalez is a +375 underdog, which means you'd earn a $375 payday by betting $100.

Earlier this week, Stevenson was at -450 (and Gonzalez at +325), so apparently, bettors are putting more of their money on him.

[UPDATE]: As of 11:25 a.m. on Saturday, Stevenson is back at -450 with Gonzalez at +325.

The over-under on rounds fought is 10.5; the over is +32- and the under is +260.

Shakur Stevenson vs. Joet Gonzalez records

Gonzalez has had nearly twice as many pro fights as Stevenson and nearly twice as many victories. He's 23-0 with 14 KOs, but, like Stevenson, he hasn't yet faced a top-notch fighter. Stevenson, meanwhile, is 12-0 with 7 KOs, and he's decidedly unimpressed with his opponent's resume.

"In 2012 when he was fighting them bums, I was a freshman in high school at the time, bro," Stevenson told Gonzalez at the final press conference. "So I understand why you're mad at me, bro. It's all good."

For what it's worth, Stevenson has never fought an opponent who had a losing record. Gonzalez has done that four times.

Shakur Stevenson vs. Joet Gonzales prediction

I expect Gonzalez to come in and try to knock Stevenson through the ring ropes. He'll be fighting with pent-up fury, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him have success early in the match. But Stevenson is one of the most talented young boxers in the world, and he's going to win his first (of probably many) world titles. Call it Stevenson by unanimous decision, somewhere in the 117-111 range.